Tesla CEO Elon Musk has assured TSLA investors that he would be enhancing his security detail.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Musk\u2019s comments were posted on X in the aftermath of the slaying of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk.<\/p>\n
Aggressive critics<\/p>\n
Kirk was slain during a speaking engagement at Utah Valley University as part of Turning Point USA\u2019s first event on a tour of college campuses, as noted in a Politico<\/a> report. Kirk was a notable voice in the conservative movement and a close ally of the Trump administration, which led to aggressive critics openly wishing him harm.\u00a0<\/p>\n Elon Musk, due to his contributions to the Trump campaign and his later work with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has also attracted a substantial amount of vitriol from critics. Tesla owners and the company itself suffered attacks due to critics\u2019 anger towards Musk, with several stores and cars being vandalized<\/a> or victimized in arson attacks<\/a>.<\/p>\n Despite having stepped back from his work with DOGE, Musk remains a target among critics online, with some still calling for the CEO to get the \u201cLuigi Mangione\u201d treatment. These sentiments were notable after Kirk\u2019s slaying, with some users on platforms such as Reddit and Bluesky arguing that Musk or Donald Trump should be next after Kirk.\u00a0<\/p>\n Concerns and assurances<\/p>\n In the aftermath of Kirk\u2019s slaying, numerous Tesla retail investors called on the company\u2019s Board of Directors to bolster Elon Musk\u2019s security detail. With some social media users openly calling for Musk to be slain next, such a request made sense. This was highlighted by Tesla investor Alexandra Merz<\/a>, who called on the Tesla Board to drastically increase the company\u2019s budget for Elon Musk\u2019s security, which currently stands at just $3.3 million annually, or about $235,000 per month.<\/p>\n In response to the Tesla investor\u2019s comments, Musk responded<\/a> that he would \u201cdefinitely need to enhance security.\u201d Musk\u2019s response was well appreciated by the Tesla and electric vehicle community as a whole, with some users on X stating that the CEO must be kept safe.<\/p>\n